Redeeming Outdoor Education

Outdoor education has tremendous potential. It teaches practical skills, builds community, and invites students to reconnect with the natural world. But as powerful as this form of learning can be, it is often shaped by worldviews that conflict with biblical truth. At Cedarwood Outdoor School, we believe in redeeming outdoor education—restoring it to its rightful place under the Lordship of Christ.

Achieving this vision begins with acknowledging the competing ideologies that have shaped the field and then intentionally aligning our methods and message with Scripture. To engage the outdoors rightly, we must first recognize that no form of education is ever worldview-neutral. Every curriculum—whether formal or experiential—carries with it a vision of truth, meaning, and purpose. Outdoor education is no exception. As such, it has become a fertile ground for competing ideologies. Before we can shape a biblical alternative, we must first understand the foundational worldviews currently influencing the field.

Competing Worldviews and Their Influence:

  1. Pantheism & Nature Worship:

    • Worldview: Nature is not only seen as part of creation but is revered as divine or as possessing its own spiritual consciousness. Pantheism often claims that divinity exists within all things—that the earth, trees, rivers, and animals possess a divine essence or inner divinity. As a result, nature is no longer a creation to be stewarded, but a deity to be venerated.

    • Impact: This view often leads to earth-centric rituals, animism, and the deification of nature. Rather than pointing students to the One who made all things, this approach subtly shifts focus onto the creation as an end in itself, positioning nature as the source of life rather than the living God.

    • Biblical Response: Romans 1:25 warns against exchanging the truth of God for a lie, worshiping the created rather than the Creator. A redeemed approach emphasizes that nature reveals God’s glory but is not itself divine (Psalm 19:1-6).

  2. Secular Environmentalism:

    • Worldview: Nature is said to be valuable for its own sake, independent of any divine Creator. This perspective often leans toward radical preservationism, where humanity is viewed as an intruder or parasite. The solution is to minimize or even eliminate human influence, reducing our footprint as much as possible.

    • Impact: While care for creation is essential, secular environmentalism drifts into a misanthropic ideology—treating humans as fundamentally harmful rather than as God-appointed stewards. Under this worldview, sustainability becomes salvation, shifting hope away from Christ and placing it in human effort, thereby framing ecological balance as the ultimate moral good rather than a fruit of faithful stewardship.

    • Biblical Response: Scripture affirms both human dominion and responsibility to care for creation (Genesis 2:15). The earth is the Lord’s (Psalm 24:1), and we are called to manage it as His stewards, not as conquerors or passive bystanders.

  3. New Age Spirituality:

    • Worldview: Nature is viewed as a means of accessing higher consciousness or spiritual awakening, often integrating practices like crystal healing, moon ceremonies, astrology, and energy healing. The focus is on unlocking one’s divine potential through connection with the natural world, wherein nature acts as a portal to inner enlightenment or spiritual power.

    • Impact: This worldview draws students away from God’s truth and into occult practices that the Bible expressly forbids (Deuteronomy 4:19). It promises enlightenment through nature but ultimately leads away from truth, replacing Christ with cosmic forces or inner divinity.

    • Biblical Response: Colossians 2:8 warns against being taken captive by philosophies and empty deceptions. Instead, biblical outdoor education should emphasize nature as a teacher of God’s attributes (Psalm 19:1-6; Romans 1:20) and a call to worship the Creator, not the creation or oneself.

  4. Survivalist/Prepper Mentality:

    • Worldview: Survivalism veers toward fear-driven, individualistic self-preservation, often grounded in a distrust of others and of God’s provision. It often assumes a worst-case scenario about the world, preparing for collapse through stockpiling, isolation, and a relentless focus on personal security. Community and cooperation are downplayed in favor of a lone-wolf ethic, which is often justified as wisdom but functions more as suspicion and self-exaltation.

    • Impact: This perspective can foster a bunker mentality rather than a spirit of community, charity, and faith in God’s sovereignty. Instead of cultivating readiness to serve, it cultivates anxiety and pride in self-sufficiency.

    • Biblical Response: Matthew 6:25-34 emphasizes that God is the ultimate Provider, and we are called to prepare with wisdom, not fear (Psalm 27). A biblical approach would teach survival skills as a means of serving others and fulfilling God’s purposes, not merely self-preservation.

  5. Romanticized Primitivism:

    • Worldview: This perspective idealizes primitive living as the “purest” form of human existence, often rejecting modern advancements outright. It assumes that technological and cultural progress has corrupted humanity, and that returning to ancient or “natural” ways of life is the key to wholeness and truth.

    • Impact: This mindset may discourage engagement with technology, industry, and modern forms of stewardship, leading to an imbalanced rejection of God-given tools for cultivating the earth. It can also foster disillusionment when idealized notions of primitive life fail to account for hardship, suffering, or human sin. Rather than promoting true contentment or discernment, it may romanticize hardship and undervalue the redemptive potential of godly innovation.

    • Biblical Response: The Bible acknowledges human innovation as a God-given gift (Genesis 4:20-22) and encourages us to use our abilities to cultivate the earth for the good of all (Proverbs 12:11).

What Issues Have We Seen in the Field?

  1. Spiritual Confusion:

    • Many wilderness programs integrate New Age practices, encouraging students to “connect with their higher self” or “listen to nature’s spirit.” This can blur the lines between biblical discernment and occult practices.

  2. Environmental Extremism:

    • Environmental programs sometimes present humanity as the villain, neglecting the biblical perspective that humans are image-bearers of God with the mandate to care for creation.

  3. Fear-Based Survivalism:

    • Some survivalist programs focus heavily on doomsday scenarios, encouraging students to hoard resources without a sense of responsibility to community or neighbor.

  4. Godless Naturalism:

    • Naturalist programs may teach students to observe nature strictly through a secular, evolutionary lens, excluding any acknowledgment of a Creator or divine design.

  5. Moral Relativism:

    • Many outdoor education programs promote subjective morality and relativistic ethics, denying the existence of absolute truth as revealed in Scripture.

A Biblical Approach to Outdoor Education:

  • Teach Creation as Revelation: Nature is not God, but it reveals God’s power, wisdom, and character (Psalm 19:1; Romans 1:20). By observing creation, students are invited to grow in awe of their Creator and deepen their understanding of His attributes.

  • Cultivate Stewardship, Not Exploitation: Emphasize that dominion is not domination; it’s a call to cultivate, protect, and wisely use resources (Genesis 2:15). Stewardship teaches students to delight in their role as caretakers of God's world and to reflect His goodness through responsible action.

  • Instill a Spirit of Service: Skills like wilderness survival and homesteading are taught not just for self-preservation but to equip believers to care for others in times of need (Philippians 2:4). Outdoor education becomes a platform for developing practical love, generosity, and preparedness for kingdom service.

  • Immerse Students in a Biblical Worldview: Whether teaching plant identification, fire-starting, or shelter-building, each lesson points back to the sovereignty of God and our role as stewards of His creation. A biblical lens helps students interpret the natural world with wonder, wisdom, and worship.

  • Foster Community and Mutual Dependence: Wilderness training can emphasize the value of teamwork, unity, and serving one another, reflecting the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-26). Outdoor experiences nurture Christlike relationships built on cooperation, humility, and shared purpose.

    Conclusion

    Outdoor education offers a remarkable opportunity to awaken curiosity, build life skills, and foster deep connections with the world God has made. But without biblical discernment, it can also become a vehicle for spiritual confusion, human-centered ideology, or misplaced reverence for creation itself. By recognizing the competing worldviews at play—whether it's nature worship, secularism, or fear-driven survivalism—we can intentionally reclaim outdoor learning as a Christ-centered pursuit.

    At Cedarwood Outdoor School, we believe that outdoor education should not only teach students how to survive in the wild, but how to worship the Creator through what He has made. From tool use to trail walks, every lesson is an opportunity to cultivate wonder, wisdom, and worship. By grounding our instruction in Scripture, emphasizing stewardship, and training for service—not just self-sufficiency—we equip students to live faithfully and fruitfully, both in the wild and in the world.

    The wild belongs to God. Let’s teach the next generation to walk in it with reverence, readiness, and a heart full of praise.

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